The others, however, insisted that you never could be sure of every one, and that some one would be sure to peach.

They argued in favor of sailing west and beaching the ship on one of the Pacific islands, where they could live comfortably and take wives among the native women.

If they were ever found they could then say that the ship was blown out of her course and wrecked there, and that the captain and officers had been drowned or killed by the natives.

It seemed to me that this party were the strongest.

For the next week I was thrashed and kicked every day and had I been as weak as I pretended to be, I'm sure they would have killed me.